The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines, dropping recommendations that Americans who are not up-to-date on vaccines quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. "The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years," said the CDC's Greta Massetti, an author of the guidelines. The changes are driven by a recognition that – more than 2 and a half years since the start of the pandemic – an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected, agency officials said. Learn more about the updated guidelines at the link in our bio.